EPA’s tips for winter clean ups

THOSE planning a clean-it-up and chuck-it-out project are being encouraged to take on some handy hints from the EPA.

The EPA website has useful tips to protect the environment and prevent jobs from turning into a headache.

Those hiring a skip for their clean up are encouraged to choose a respectable company.

Ask to see the receipts showing they take waste to a licensed landfill or recycling facility and beware of suspiciously low prices, meaning your waste could be being dumped illegally.

If you suspect asbestos, there are simple rules to let you deal with small amounts yourself, and above those amounts, it’s a matter of hiring in an expert.

For old paint and household chemicals, there are certain drop off points, and household detox events which allow you to dispose of them without contamination.

“A little knowledge can equip you to avoid the traps of sending waste to the wrong place and turning it into a pollution problem that will come back to get you, EPA interim chief executive officer Joss Crawford said.

“Everyone has an environmental duty in Victoria. There are pathways for disposal of things like old paint or chemicals, or asbestos that work much better than trying to hide it at the bottom of the bin. You just have to know what to do.

“Victoria’s Environment Protection Act includes a General Environmental Duty, that makes it everyone’s responsibility to take reasonable action to prevent pollution, so a little homework on the EPA website before you start can make life a lot easier.”

Patrons are asked to check the EPA website before they start and help prevent harm to the environment and local community.